A Whole New Show

[Atticus the Fallen]

***Time has been moved forward. Specific events of the play will be filled in at a later date***

The play had come to a close in just under an hour. The oddly assembled cast had improvised most of their acting and for the most part it was a decent attempt. Atticus was unsure how he liked the ending, but it hardly mattered. The prize was in sight, and while everyone walked away with a strange, new perspective on each other... his sights were set on his original goals. No play could easily overturn this.

Looking over the backstage as the final curtain closed and the two theatrical masterminds, the Impresario and Acteur, took their places center-stage to announce the voting for the best actors of the play. This was it. Whomever won this little... popularity contest would be sent to see the mirror... But he couldn't have just anyone receive the prize, now could he?

Lucky for him, strong prejudices and bitter blood between the members of light and dark worked in his favor. The villains stood parted to one side while the so-called heroes gathered at the other. That meant that all he had to do... was will them away. With a sweep of his hand, the entire half of the backstage where those of the light now stood became engulfed in shadow. And while it took a great deal of concentration on his part, Atticus was successful... in sending them far away... Somewhere isolated from technology, where most would have to either risk another trip through the darkness or wait for rescue. Either way... it would be too late.

***Sai, Beatrix, Abigail, Oeilvert, Wall-E, and Vivi have all been moved to the Pridelands, inside Brass' construct***

That left only those of the dark... and they had their instructions. When the curtain opened once more, the audience would be treated to their options... None at all. Like it or not, those left behind (Lilith, Nexus, the soldiers, Nivea, Ellin, and the Heartless Children) would have to vote for at least one of the dark monsters of evil. No heroes win today... Atticus made certain of it.

The Fallen stepped forward with a nod as Acteur called for everyone to make themselves known. He would speak quietly to the dark puppet...

"Part of the cast was called away abruptly, and regrets to inform everyone that they have forfeited their rights to the prize... Now, on with the voting..." he muttered so that his voice carried in every dark nook and cranny.

No matter what they did now... he won.

[Acteur de la Noir]

As the final twist in the plot made itself clear--all those stalwart defenders of the Light swept off to the intruding construct of metal upon that primal world known as the Pridelands--Acteur turned his eerie yellow gaze to his master, staring for a moment at Atticus the Fallen. In all honesty, master or not, it was a trifle annoying to have someone tampering with the last part of the script--particularly since, as a puppetmaster, Acteur de la Noir found himself in his element. And yet really, it was a relatively minor bit of interference--by and large, the Phantom Puppeteer had been given free reign with the creative liberties of the performance--that divine comedy of the eternal struggle between Light and Dark, amusing and philosophical all at once. And from the looks on the faces of his "actors," it seemed that the audience hadn't been the only ones who'd found some kind of personal realization during it all...

...and really, that was part of the best kind of play. And such a hit it was! Though the exact events were lost amid the flow of current events, the Heartless Puppeteer was certain of that much--the applause and intrigued murmurs were fresh in his dark mind.

And so it was, as the curtain fell upon a cast of darkness, Acteur de la Noir rolled his narrow shoulders in a nonchalant shrug, tipping his hat to Atticus and closing one glittering eye in a mischievous wink of acknowledgment. "Well played, Maestro," he whispered behind the porcelain grin of his mask.

And now, it was time to move on...for an even grander performance was yet to come.

[serpentoflore]

Sarah's hand still held the flute she had been using to play the last song. The next piece of music would be the encore. At least while people were voting. She settled to sit in the small seat, rather comfortable for some reason, in the orchestra section. Once this was over she would be able to figure out where to go next. She waved lightly in Acteur's direction to point out she was ready for the voting to commence.

----

Nivea had watched the play with curiosity. Was this really what they considered a good play? She blinked, wondering why some of the cast was missing. Sai, her target and Attra's was missing... She made sure Daphne still was locate there, relaxed a little at that thought.

[Secondary Characters]

[glow=silver,2,300]A-ha! thought a silver-haired trickster hiding just above the audience in the dark shadows created by the ornate chandelier hanging overhead; holding tightly to a rope suspended from high above in the falcon, he peered down into the massive audience room, surveying its occupants to find...HER!

When at last the overture was perfected--how delicately sweet it was, indeed!--he waited for the curtains to fall. When the two masters of the theatre came out and introduced all who stood to claim reward he spotted his catch:

The lovely Sarah was standing down in the orchestra pit still, apparently putting away her music book. Though of course to Setzer Gabbiani, gambler extraordinaire, she was Maria with a terrible dye mishap.

"And now that it appears the tide is lowering, I may yet grab my catch of the day and successfully whisk my love to everlasting happiness and joy..."

As Sarah Appleton was wrapping up the evening with something of a grand finale piece, using the power imbued within her to make all the instruments play by themselves, Setzer went to work. Releasing the rope with one hand he reached into his side pocket to grab a deck of cards; a moment later they went flying with a flick of his wrist and each took out a flickering light in the chandelier's many candles, causing the great room to fall into darkness.

"Hark! Be ye not afraid, my fair Maria, for--" he snapped the breaker holding him in place above and soon went cascading down into the pit, where he grabbed the obect of his desires with a hasty snap of his arm, coiling around the musician like a serpent's grip. "I, Setzer Gabbiani have come to rescue you!"

As he snatched the girl, he tipped his head in the direction of where the Impresario and Acteur would be standing, believing they couldn't see him as he made this daring escape.

In a split second after, the echoing voice dissipated and both gambler and piper were gone, straight up into the Falcon high above Jidoor's renowned Opera House.

***Off to Will You Marry Me?, in Hyperspace***[/glow]

[The Alexandrian Army]

There could be no arguments that this performance was one of brilliance! The soldiers all had a rather nice time, including--but not limited to--Daphne, who mainly cheered on Sai throughout the entire show, and even though a lot had happened prior to the whole scheme, what was left of the Alexandrians were surprised to see yet more action and mystery.

From on high came a black-cloaked, silver-haired madman in attempts to kidnap someone named Maria, and the entire army stood to draw sword and shield the moment the lights went out, but because this caused everything to go black they were a bit set off by the beaming golden eyes glowing throughout the massive chamber.

An uproar had started, and the soldiers were calling out to one another in orderly fashion, just to ensure that there would be no chaos due to the majority being left were Heartless.

"Sai!? Sai!" cried out the scientist, set in her goal to locate the Nobody, but at a loss of where to begin looking in this darkness.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur de la Noir was no stranger to darkness, having sprung from those fathomless depths himself. Be it the simple blackness that was little more than an absence of light, or the endless void that was the umbral side of the metaphysical plane, the darkness was not debilitating to the Phantom Puppeteer. He was not one to be alarmed or disoriented by a sudden plunge into those shadowy depths...indeed, he felt only refreshed. For him, the embrace of darkness was that of his native element--rather akin to coming home after a long day's work and basking in the familiar habitat of one's personal abode.

And so it was, as the candles of the chandelier flickered and faded under the assault of those enchanted cards, that a pair of ghostly yellow eyes pierced the gloom. With nary a pause in the sudden darkness, they quickly found the solitary musician who was standing amidst the orchestra--that vision of beauty in gown of dusky purple, accented with such features as that elegant black witch hat. Focusing on she who accepted the darkness for what it was, and had even opened her heart to a being who hailed from those forbidden depths. Whose delightful complexity had made her truly worthy of possessing that heart...and had piqued the interest of a being who might have once sought only to manipulate.

Just in time to see her snatched away.

As the voice of the interloper faded, the lofty timbre of his voice echoing in the vast confines of the theater, the Victorian-inspired Heartless was left on the stage alone, his lanky figure as motionless as a scarecrow as he stared up into the rafters where his apprentice had vanished. However, the silence and stillness were merely physical--behind that porcelain mask, a dark mind was very much at work. And, as a being given to gestures and statements of the theatrical bent, he understood the meaning behind that ostentatious announcement--and the arrogant nod that had been directed his way--perfectly.

Had anyone--his fellow Heartless, perhaps--been able to see the mask of Acteur de la Noir at that moment, they would behold a countenance rarely seen upon his mask. Gone was the crescent-shaped smile, hinting at both whimsy and mischief...in its place, there were jagged gaps that suggested the presence of vampire-esque fangs, set in a leer that was purely vindictive. And those ghostly eyes, so wondrously expressive for a Heartless...they now burned with a predatory brilliance. Already, his fingers were flexing, tightening, contracting, trembling; as though already set upon a silver-haired wretch's throat and squeezing...

Then the Phantom Puppeteer brought his hands up with a vicious flourish, as though directing a band...and in the darkness, those with astral senses would detect the summoning of lesser Heartless, drawn forth on shadowy strings to serve their greater brethren. And, from that same darkness, a voice both elegant and sinister at once: "Take care that your delusions and obsessions leave not the boundaries of your mind," it announced with lofty malevolence, "Or thou shalt surely find thyself consumed by them." And then, in the subtle, whispering language of Darkness: "Track him, my brethren! We hunt him down, like the fool that he is!"

And then they leaped, Acteur and his shadowy host. Upward, on invisible wings, towards Falcon High, in pursuit of the one who dared to steal away Sarah Appleton, the lovely musician who had ended up meaning so much to a certain puppeteer.

Yes, indeed...Acteur de la Noir was far from a stranger to darkness...

*Off to Will You Marry Me?, in Hyperspace*

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]As the next series of events unfolded before the eyes of the queen, she found herself unimpressed with the recent goings-on. Turning towards Acteur with a short sigh of pity, she hovered close to him and wraped a gentle hand around his neck.

"Fear not, Acteur...the precious secret of darkness is that it, unlike its more famous counterpart, can be found anywhere in large amounts. This girl you are so fond of will not be gone for too long."

And then she snapped back to the Impresario. "You two should get on with it, then."[/glow]

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]Kefka was taken aback by MeadowSong's generosity with feelings and made a finger-in-throat gesture towards her, and then marched over to Acteur, arched forward and stabbed his manicured, painted fingernail into his chest, tapping it twice.

"Now you listen and listen well, Puppet Man! You lighten up, or I'll destroy you! Why worry about the lives of insignificant mortals when they are destined for the abyss of nothingness, anyway? Keep to your goals so that when the day comes we can settle the argument on who is the better dramatist!"

A high cackle, and he leapt off the ground, his large wings flapping, and turned his attention up to the chandelier. "Firaga!" he chimed, and soon the theatre room was ablaze in low light once more.

"Grow up. And Maleficent, shame on you for encouraging the toy..."[/glow]

[Ellin Destroix]

The children had a wonderful time, and did not know they were to vote at the end- this was a plus! hey had a various range of likable characters, but their hero was always Atticus the Fallen. They also enjoyed the acting of their "new" heroes, Vivi and Abigail, and clapped at every single performance. Ellin watched them throughout the performance, seeing their antennas shoot out in conversation after every act with one another, wondering what was to come next.

Then, new drama occurred, and the ones of the light were ported out! This caused Ellin to gasp and stand- Something is not right! Her lavender eyes peered over to Atticus, and his little excuse for why the others had gone, but she could do nothing about it now, as for the children where her number one priority.

"H-hn.... Lady Abigail would of not leave us so abruptly...!" the dark knight thought to herself, thinking the she how has been rigged. Oh no, now Sarah was kidnapped by the strange shadow clown, and the dark knight grew conflicted. Mister Acteur seemed to spring into control of the situation, and a chase had started for Miss Musician... but... Lady Abigail... damn...!

All she could do now was support the children, whom in turn, would support those whom they thought had been amazing. Sadly, they could not see the white mage, or the little black mage of their groups. Their selection had decreased, and so, new votes needed to be taken.

"I'll find her after taking the children home..." she assured herself, blinking a little at her worry for the white mage, "...hm..." she looked down at her chest and rested a hand just over her heart in wonder of her new found worries.

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]The Show was rather improvised as expected, but before the disappearance of many of the actors would be involved, the witch had many things to do before the day was done. She clapped about three times, showing her respect to the arts, before she disappeared. [/glow]

[Secondary Characters]

"Humbug!" cried the hopping Impresario in a rage, spinning in circles and yelling at everyone and everything in range. Because of all that was happening, chaos had been born on his stage, and even the bane of Jidoor--Setzer--had come for someone! He was ready to scream.

"ENOUGH!" he roared among the murmur of Heartless and soldiers, and turned on MeadowSong, Kefka, Atticus and the others, pointing them all down with a glare before he spun to face the audience once more, putting on a practiced smile yet again.

"Well, then! It so appears that our heroes were dismissed due to unforseen circumstances," he intoned dramatically, waving his hand to indicate the empty left side of the stage. "Woe to the Warrior of Light who treads lightly on the valley of shadows, for now all what's left is the beast to collect his gil."

Indicating now the Heartless left on stage, he turned. "Now...before the eruption of hell here tonight the ballots had been cast," and with a snap of his fingers an envelope was brought to his hand from whatever reaches of the void he'd summoned it. He then called over Kuja from the shadows who collected it and moved over to each potential winner of the prize and had them gently tap it with their index fingers.

When everyone had gotten their tap the Genome returned the magic envelope to his master and watched as the Impresario moved to the center of the stage, putting a finger to his lips and making a three hundred sixty degree turn to hush the crowd.

Clearing his throat he addressed the audience. "And now we announce best performance," he said, undoing the Opera seal on the back of the envelope. "And the winner of the grand fortune is..."

[nexus]

" Wow" that all Nexus was able to say to the play, he had seen one or two back home but not really like this.

Nexus seemed to be stuck in his chair, most of the people he did know were just whisked off to somewhere , then the light go out and another girl gets taken. "Okayyyyy soooo is all this supposed to happen?" he asked out loud to no one in particular.

Looking around a little bit Nexus surrendered to doing nothing about it all, not sure if he could, just decided he was a little lost with this scenario. Nexus looked around noticing who was left , only to find that he was sitting not more then two rows in front of Ria. He turned partly around laying his arm on the back of the chair, looking straight up at her he asked " So what next huh" and laughed a little bit, but gave her a smile in the end.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Ms. Go, as she promised to the dark knight, was taking care of the camera footage along with a few heartless Soldier friends of hers. They filmed everything, and had left to edit it backstage with a few technological supplies she found. Her, and two other heartless would be editing a movie out of it for later reviewing when all of the havoc outside went out. She warped through he door to look at the happenings, her eyes as round as green full moons as she took it all in.

That harlequin was up to no good again, and apparently that Knight woman was...flying? Eh, she could do that, nothing new. When it didn't concern her, and everything seemed well with Atticus and the children, she went back to editing with her heartless crew. [/glow]

[The Alexandrian Army]

Ria, along with Maara and a few soldiers, enjoyed the show very much; having their General on stage in an act was rather refreshing and new, and she was quite lovely, even with Agrias disappearing, it wasn't enough to catch Beatrix off a show!

The youngest of the soldiers gulped a little at the unexpected twist in the end, where all the heroes where removed! She stood up and pointed a little at the stage, "sabotage!" she'd squeak but was silenced soon after by a few of the soldiers.

... she didn't want to start something either... not with Beatrix gone, and the heartless about. Ria looked around worriedly, but soon relaxed at catching eyesight of the Dragon Hunter. She breathed softly when he turned back at that moment to look at her, and she gave him a worried smile, " I-I have no idea..." she tried to say, replying to his question, "...I-I do hope this is all part of a show....b-but this could be taking the show too far! What should we do...?" she asked herself quietly.

[Agrias Oaks]

After seeing his Master leave, and everyone panic-- Boco couldn't help but try and flap his wings to the rescue, trying to fly-- but of course-- Chocobos are flightless birds. He rushed away from the little roasted almond stand in a sort of dash, trying to catch up to Agrias' trail, but could not keep up with the zig-zag motion of her trails, and finally, her departure.

He would kwhee sadly, before his attention was taken elsewhere... The show had to go on... and when it was over, everything had an unexpected twist. Now Abigail, Beatrix, and the others were gone-- and he was now alone with Lilith, Ellin, and the Alexandrian Soldiers. Boco grew frustrated at this, and he would wobble over to Lilith and peck at her hair in panic...

'DO SOMETHING, PLEASE!' he would try to bring out with his actions, flapping his wings and wobbling about near Lilith, "WARK KWHEE!" he would cry out in confusion.